A 27-year-old man was found dead with numerous gunshot wounds after he allegedly broke down the door of a family that was armed for self-defense.
Arizona police responded to a shots-fired report at the residence on Sunday evening in the town of Buckeye, according to KSAZ-TV.
Investigators found that the security door had been ripped off its hinges.
The incident unfolded just before 9 p.m. at the home on Yuma Road and 237th Lane.
“When officers arrived, they located a man inside the home suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and three other individuals who were not injured,” police said.
The man was identified as Michael Diaz.
An investigation said there were three people in the home, a mother and her two adult children, when Diaz began to bang on their door.
“A woman answered the door, and the male intruder began to force his way into the home,” police said. “A man in the home retrieved a handgun and went to the door just as the intruder broke through the security door and stepped inside.”
Police said the man fired at Diaz and struck him. He died at the scene.
Investigators found that the security door had been ripped off its hinges as the mother went to answer the door. KSAZ was able to obtain security video from the neighborhood that captured the sound of four gunshots.
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One neighbor told KSAZ that he heard the gunshots but believed at the time that they were fireworks.
“I was in the living room with my wife and daughter, and we just hear multiple gunshots,” the neighbor said. “It’s really scary.”
The family declined to speak to the media, and KSAZ reported that evidence markers and bloodstains were visible in the front yard of the home, which was boarded up. An attorney told KTVK-TV that the incident likely fell under the state’s Castle Doctrine and the homeowner who shot Diaz would not face charges.
Police said the family did not know the intruder.
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Home intruder shot and killed, Second amendment defense, Buckeye home intruder killed, Break down door, Crime
